Karni Mata Mandir, Rajasthan, IN

Location: At a distance of 30kms south of Bikaner
Built in: 15th century
Dedicated to: Karni Mata
Also known as: Temple of Rats
Attraction: Thousands of Rats are worshipped

Karni Mata temple is a 600-year-old Hindu temple at Deshnoke, Rajasthan, India. Karni Mata is believed to be the incarnation of Hindu goddess Durga. The peculiarity of this temple is that thousands of rats are worshipped here. The temple in its present form was completed in the early 20th century in late Mughal style by Maharaja Ganga Singh.

This temple is dedicated to Karni Mata. There is a legend that she prophesied the victory of Rao Bika. The rats are seen as holy, owing to the belief that the souls of the followers of Karni Mata are in these rats and thus they must be looked after. The huge silver gates to the temple, and the marble carvings were a donation of Maharaja Ganga Singh. Karni Mata Temple is a popular and unusual holy shrine of India. This Temple is in a small town of Deshnok, which is located at a distance of 30 kms in south of Bikaner in Rajasthan.

Throughout the year pilgrims from anywhere come to pay religious tribute to Karni Mata. People from far and wide come to pay religious tribute to shri karni mata. Throughout the year there's an influx of pilgrims. Outside rajasthan, places like Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Haryana are areas where mata is greatly respected and loved. During the time of navratri thousands flock to mata's temple on foot. Mata's enigma attracts pilgrims from all over. It is becoming one of the holiest and most faithful places in India.

The temple has huge silver gates and a marble door both donated by the Maharaja Ganga Singh. The temple has a beautiful silver door and a wire mesh over the courtyard to protect the rats from birds. An image of Karni Mata holding a trishul (trident), surrounded by rats can be seen in the temple. The rats are called kabas and if you injure a rat in the temple, you are expected to present a gold or silver replica to the temple or suffer misfortune. The rats eat from huge metal bowls filled with milk, sweets, and grains donated by devotees. It is considered auspicious to see a white kaba near the image of Karni Mata. Inside the shrine, a 75 cms. Image of Karni Mata adorned with a mukut (tiara) and a garland is installed. Her image is accompanied by the images of her sisters and the sisters of Avad Mata.

History:
The story of the temple is that a woman brought the body of her recently dead son to Karni Mata and asked her to restore the boy to life. Karni fell into a deep trance and encountered Yamaraja, the lord of death. But He told her that the boy had already accepted another body and could not be recalled. Karni refused to accept this and said that Yamaraja would no longer govern her tribe of Charans. At death they would enter the bodies of kabas, or sacred rats, and when the rats died they would be reborn as Charans. Karni Mata was an ascetic who led a righteous life dedicated to the service and upliftment of the poor and downtrodden of all communities. It is believed that she possessed supernatural powers. She laid the foundation of Deshnoke and her principal followers, Charans, as well as the rulers of Bikaner have worshiped her as a goddess.

Karni Mata & Rats:
The beginning of the rat worship date to the 15th century. The rats are believed to be reincarnation of holly woman and goddess Karni Mata, an ascetic believed to be the reincarnation of goddess Durga. When a child of a famous storyteller died, Karni Mata tried to bring it back to life, but failed. Yama, a Hindu death god, has already accepted the boy’s body and reincarnated him in a human form. Known for her short temper, Karni Mata was extremely disappointed by her failure and announced that all the Charan cast would consistently be reborn as rats and then again as people. Thus kabas, or "little children" in the local dialect, are considered different than the rats outside the temple and only those rats are said to be the reincarnations of the Charan caste.

There are over 20,000 rats that are said to live here, with their own holes and tunnels built into the construction to allow them to move freely from area to area within. A rat running over your bare feet, or the honour of eating after one, is said to be good luck, spotting a white one even better. The white are said to be a manifestation of Karni Mata, there are very few of them, and seeing one is rare.

Festival:
During the Karni Mata Fair in Chaitra (March- April) special buses and trains carry the pilgrims to Deshnoke.

How to reach:
One can easily reach Rat Temple by taking regular Buses or by hiring taxis from anywhere in Rajasthan. It is connected by rail and road with Bikaner, Nagaur, Jodhpur and Jaipur and regular buses on these routes.

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